So Sleepy

I am exhausted. Another night of broken sleep habits has left me chugging coffee like its water. My wife and I have a 4 week old preemie at home that is doing what babies do. Her and I take turns getting up with him but even that doesn't allow us to get a solid 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. He is totally worth the tiredness but I still wonder what effect this sleep deprivation will have on my weight loss and fitness goals.  As of late, my motivation and willingness to go to the gym as waned. I still get my workouts in but I feel like I am not giving 100% like I should be.

Sleep Loss Appears to Do Two Things:

1. Makes you feel hungry even if you are full. Sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. As a result, individuals who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake.


2. Increases fat storage. Sleep loss may interfere with the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates, which leads to high levels of blood sugar. Excess blood sugar promotes the overproduction of insulin, which can lead to the storage of body fat and insulin resistance, a critical step into the development of diabetes. Borrowed from medicinenet.com Read More

This isn't new to me and I have heard it all before. One of the Primal rules is to make sure you get adequate sleep.  Ok. I understand that. But what do others do when that is not a possibility?  I cannot be the first person to want to tone up during a time when good sleep comes at a price. Do bodybuilders take off a couple of months when their wives give birth?  Has anyone reading this actually lost weight while not getting adequate sleep?

What Do I Do?

Here is the question of the day. Do I take a break from working out until my sleep patterns get back to normal or do I push myself harder and hope that the extra effort will counteract any negative effects the lack of sleep will provide?  I could see pulling a muscle from poor form brought on by being tired but I don't want to quit working out because of a "maybe".

It's just a matter of time before his sleepless nights will pass and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. Just curious what I should do in the mean time. Take a break or push through.

Thoughts?